River Forest, Ill. -- Fresh off their bye week, the Concordia University Chicago football team welcomed the Warriors of Wisconsin Lutheran College to Concordia Stadium for a conference battle on Saturday afternoon. There was no shortage of action over the course of the 60 minutes, with the Cougars eventually holding on for a thrilling 41-38 victory.
The Cougar offense was firing on all cylinders out of the gate, going 65 yards in nine plays to take an early 7-0 lead. It was capped off by a three-yard run by senior running back DeAndre Daniels (Chula Vista, Calif.), his fifth score of the season.
They picked up right where they left off on the second drive, as freshman quarterback Troy Pratley (St. Joseph, Mich.) hooked up with junior wideout Christian Covington (Corinth, Texas), who turned on the burners for a 70-yard reception. One play later, Daniels scored from 10 yards out for his second touchdown of the quarter to make it a 14-3 game.
It was a 13-play 85-yard scoring march for the Cougars on their third possession as they continued to move the ball with ease against the Warrior's defense. Prately led the way down the field using both his arm and his legs, eventually scrambling for a nine-yard touchdown as the Cougars jumped to a 21-3 lead.
After Wisconsin Lutheran found the endzone for the first time in the game, it was again time for the CUC offense to answer. Daniels continued his monster first half with a massive burst of speed up the middle all the way to the house for a 54-yard touchdown run.
The Warriors managed to put together a second-straight scoring drive in the final minutes of the half, but left the Cougars a little too much time. Passes to Covington and Daniels resulted in gains of 17 and 32, respectively, and put the team inside the 10 with under a second left. Freshman kicker Ryan Auer (Newark, Ohio) drilled a 25-yard field goal to send the team to the half with a 31-17 lead.
The 31 points are the most in a half for the team since their season opener at Beloit College in 2019.
It was the Warriors offense that opened the second half with a bang, scoring a 55-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to pull within seven. The Cougars were able to respond, as Auer drilled a 32-yard field goal to again make it a two possession game.
In what quickly became a back-and-forth shootout, the Warriors offense once again marched down the field with a 65-yard scoring drive to keep the pressure on CUC.
The Cougar defense opened the fourth quarter with a critical stop on 4th and 6 on their own 19 to keep the Warriors from taking the lead. However, a fumble on the ensuing drive gave WLC the ball near midfield needing just a field goal to tie.
That drive only went backwards, as the CUC defense sniffed out the run on three-consecutive plays to force a punt with just under seven and a half minutes remaining.
As they'd done throughout most of the game, the Cougars rode the run game down the stretch. After Daniels and junior wide receiver Ty McKinney (Hazelwood, Mo.) did the bulk of the damage, Pratley capped the drive with his second rushing touchdown of the day.
The Warriors didn't roll over easily, scoring with 1:26 remaining to pull back within a field goal with all three timeouts in their back pocket. The ensuing onside kick attempt went out of bounds, leaving CUC a first down away from sealing the victory.
On a 3rd and 14 the Cougars again looked to Daniels to create some magic out of the backfield. The transfer once again delivered, finding room up the middle for a 15-yard gain and a first down to ice the game.
The win is the first at home since Oct. 5, 2019 and the first conference win under first-year Head Coach Andy Lambert.
Top Performers
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It was a career day for Daniels, as the senior rushed for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He added 49 yards through the air on three catches.
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Covington's 99 receiving yards are a season-high. His 70-yard reception is the longest of his career.
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Pratley completed 11-15 passes for 195 yards. He also rushed for 70 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
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Senior defensive back Earl MacIntyre (Smithsville, Texas) led the team with 10 total tackles.
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Junior defensive end Justin Aduo (Grand Prairie, Texas) had a tackle for loss and a pair of quarterback hits.
The team will head back on the road next Saturday when they head to Lisle, Ill., to battle the Benedictine University Eagles. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m., and a stream will be available on cucougars.com/coverage.
